Guides

• What "Rated for Shade" or "Rated for Clay" Means on a Native Plant List — USDA rates growing conditions for about 36% of the natives in a typical county. What a rating is, why most plants have none, and why an unrated plant is not a bad fit.
• Why a County Native Plant List Can Look Short (or Use the Whole State) — 189 counties have thin USDA records and 45 have none filed under their own name. How each is handled, and how to read a short list.
• Native Plants That Are Also Introduced: Yarrow, Elderberry and Others — 70 plants on these lists are recorded by USDA as both native and introduced in the lower 48. Why, and what it means when you buy one.
• The Most Widespread Native Plants in the US, and Which Are Worth Planting — Across 3,051 counties, the natives recorded most often. Some are garden-worthy, some are weeds - why a county record is not a recommendation.